Korea Advances First KPS Satellite Launch

Korean Positioning System (KPS) (provided by the Korea AeroSpace Administration) The first satellite of the Korean Positioning System (KPS), which will provide ultra-precise location information across the Korean Peninsula, has entered the final design review stage for actual production. The Korea AeroSpace Administration said it held a Critical Design Review (CDR) meeting for the system detailed design of the first KPS satellite for three days from Oct. 20 to 22 at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in Daejeon, together with related ministries and agencies including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and the Korea Coast Guard. The meeting was a procedure to verify whether the satellite system design is appropriate for implementing the functions and performance required for mission success, and it was the final design review process conducted before beginning production of the flight model (FM). The latest review followed the detailed payload design review conducted in September and expanded the scope to the satellite bus. The space agency said it enhanced the completeness of the design by comprehensively checking interfaces, or connection conditions, so that key components such as the payload can operate organically with the satellite bus. The first KPS satellite is being developed with the goal of a launch in September 2029. The space agency said it plans to fully reflect the results of the latest meeting in the follow-up manufacturing, assembly and test preparation process. Next month, it also plans to hold an integrated detailed design review meeting covering the KPS system as well as ground and user systems in order to accelerate the project. KPS is a large-scale national project to build the world’s seventh independent satellite navigation system and provide ultra-precise Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) information in areas near the Korean Peninsula. A total budget of 3 trillion 72.34 billion won ($2.76 billion) is set to be invested by 2035. Kim Jin-hee, director general of the Satellite Division at the Korea AeroSpace Administration, said, "We will thoroughly reflect the review results in the follow-up process and also push ahead with the integrated detailed design review as planned."